Toy gun.



0. C. MADISON.

TOY GUN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1913.

, adason.

OLIVER C. MADISON, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

TOY GUN.

Application filed March 31, 1913. Serial No. 758,012.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER C. MADISON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Guns, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to toy guns or pistols wherein a suitable projectile is thrown by means of a spring.

It is the object of my invention to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this kind, wherein the barrel, handle, trigger and projectile detent are formed from a single piece of wire, and of which the general outline is a close simulation of a pistol or revolver.

A structure embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the toy, Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section on the line w-w of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention the main body or frame of the toy is made from a single piece of wire of suitable size and preferably of such temper as to permit it being bent without annealing or subsequentretempering, and sufiiciently resilient to per mit a slight distortion from the normal form without causing a permanent change or set of the parts to the distorted form. The said main body or frame comprises the rectilinear barrel-portion 1, the double-bend or looped breech-body 2, the rearward part 3, butt 4: and front part 5 of the handle or grip, the loop or trigger-portion 6, the return-bend 7, the arch-portion 8, the stem 9 and the hook or catch 10. A strip 11 of sheet-metal is placed around the rearward part of the barrel 1 and breech-body 2, and around the upper part of the return-bend 7. The ends of the strip are curled in between the upper and lower parts of the breechbody 2, as shown in Fig. 3, and the embraced portion of the return-bend 7 passes slidably through the lower loop of the strip. The strip serves to hold the engaged parts together and thus imparts a considerable lateral stability to the frame. A helical coil spring 12 is disposed around the barrel at the rearward end thereof, the rear end of the spring being looped into the forward part of the breech-body 2 so that said end of the spring is held in fixed relation to the barrel.

A longitudinally perforated projectile is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

employed, the same being adapted to slide freely upon the barrel 1. The rearward portion 13 of the projectile is of frusto-conical form, and to the base of said portion is joined the smaller end of a similar portion 14. which merges into a cylindrical body 15, while the latter may have at its front end a rounded head 16."

In using the toy the projectile is placed upon the barrel 1 and pushed rearwardly thereon so as to compress the spring 12, of

which the normal length is preferably more than twice its length when compressed as shown in the drawings. As the projectile approaches the position indicated, the conical portion 13 engages the upper side of the hook 10 and displaces it downwardly until the base of the conical portion passes the end of the hook. The hook then springs upwardly and the end thereof engages the base of the portion 13 to retain the projectile upon the barrel, with the spring 12 under compression as'shown. By pulling the trigger-portion 6 back toward the handle or grip the hook is disengaged from the projectile so that the same may be forcibly propelled along the barrel by the spring 12.

The movement of the wire frame in the releasing of the projectile is somewhat peculiar. In Fig. 1 the dotted lines represent, with some exaggeration, the position of the parts when the projectile is released. It will be noted that there is little if any distortion of the front part of the trigger-loop, the return-bend 7, arch-portion 8, stem 9 and hook 10, said parts forming in efiect a bent lever, similar to a bell-crank, which is fulcrumed on the rounded front end of the breech-body 2. The rearward pull upon the trigger serves to tilt upon its fulcrum the lever formed by the said parts, and thus force the hook 10 downward to release the projectile. The movement of the trigger causes the front part 5 of the grip to bow inwardly, the lower arcuate portion of the trigger being also slightly distorted, and these portions of the frame act as springs or resilient parts to restore the members to normal position when the rearward pressure upon the trigger is removed. On account of the described movement of the front part 5 of the grip or handle of the pistol, the triggerpull necessary to discharge the same may be reduced by increasing the pressure of the hand upon the grip, or the discharge may be effected solely by pressure upon the grip.

The trigger and grip or handle may thus be made large enough to be held conveniently by' an adult or large child, and the pistol still be easily operated by a small child, whose hand would not belarge enough to grasp the handle and pull the trigger in the usual way, but who could grasp the handle and effect the discharge of the projectile by increasing the pressure of the hand upon the grip. Furthermore, owing to the peculiar arrangement of the resilient frameportions by which a comparatively great length of the wire is involved in the resilient action, the required distortion thereof in discharging the pistol is very slight, and is not liable to cause a permanent set of the parts in the distorted position. This enables the use of relatively soft or low-tempered wire in the frame,and facilitates the bending operations required in its manufacture. i

The front end of the barrel 1 preferably has formed thereon a thread 17 similar to that of a Wood-screw, and a stop-block 18 is provided which may be screwed onto the end of the barrel, when desired, to prevent the projectile being thrown oil the barrel. This stop-block would be employed when the pistol was used indoors, or when given as a toy to small children. With the stopblock imposition, the toy may be snapped without danger of injuring any person or object by the throwing of the projectile.

Now,having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a toy pistol, an integral wire frame comprising a rectilinear barrel-portion, a looped breech-body adjoining the rear of the barrel, a grip-portion adjoining the breechbody, a trigger-loop adjacent. to the grip, and a lever-portion fulcrumed on the breech-body, the end of the lever-portion being engageable with a projectile on the barrel-portion, and the lever-portion being tiltable on its fulcrum by distortion of the g 2. In a toy gun, an integral wire frame comprising a barrel-portion, a breech-body adjoining the rear end of the barrel, a gripportion adjoining the breech-body, a trigger-loop adjacent to the grip, and a leverportion having a hookedend adapted to engage and retain a projectile sliding on the barrel, the leverportion connecting with the trigger-loop and contacting slidably with the breech-body, and retaining means embracing the breech-body and the contacting portion of the lever, the lever being movable to release the projectile by distortion of the trigger-loop and grip, whereby either of said parts may be employed to effect the release of the projectile.

3. In a toy gun, an integral wire barrel, breech-body, grip and trigger, a projectiledetent lever connected with the trigger, means for holding said lever in slidable contact with the breech-body, the said contacting parts having-curved portions whereby their relative movement causes a tilting of the lever, a perforate projectile slidably disposed on the barrel, and a spring disposed around the barrel and connected with the breech-body, the projectile having a conical portion with the base of which the end of the detent-lever is engageable to retain the projectile in fixed position and with the spring under compression thereby.

In testimony whereof" I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

O. C. MADISON.

Witnesses:

D. O. BARNELL, E. L. BRADLEY. 

